[Birds As Art]
Rather than put up a hummingbird feeder, why not plant some flowers to attract hummingbirds instead? In my yard they come twice a year, once when the neighbor’s honeysuckles bloom and again with my citrus plants are in bloom. I am thinking of adding some more flowers to entice these awesome little birds at other times of the year too.
Here are five flowers that attract hummingbirds in the garden:
Bee Balm: As I’ve talked about before on here, bee balm is an edible, medicinal herb that not only attracts bees to the garden, it attracts hummingbirds too.
[Bruce N. Goren]
Butterfly Bush. This large bush is loved by hummingbirds as well as butterflies. It’s beautiful when it’s blooming, somewhat similar to lilacs, but I find it rather scraggly when it’s not in bloom.
[North Carolina Native Plant Society]
Trumpet Vines. A gorgeous vine with dramatic flowers that look like trumpets. It grows throughout the United States and does well in sun and partial shade. The downside is that it is poisonous.
Fuchsia. I’ve talks about fuchsias before as one of the easiest plants to propagate. Apparently, they are also loved by hummingbirds.
[Andy’s Ontario Wildflowers]
Columbine. Columbines are native throughout the United States, grow in many types of soil, and are drought tolerant. In addition to being weirdly lovely, they also bring in hummingbirds–especially red columbine.
What flowers in your garden attract hummingbirds?
Trumpet vines are beautiful and attract hummers, but they are aggresive and will soon take over your garden. If you live where you have LOTS of room, go for it.
Thanks, Shari. I’ve heard butterfly bushes can be that way too. It’s good to look up how any of these plants act in your climate before planting.
Heh…. never knew that trumpet vines are poisonous- I grew up in a house that had it growing up the side. We kids would go out and take the flowers off and suck the nectar out of them. We thought it was honeysuckle… Eek! So yes, I guess I can see why hummingbirds are attracted! 😉
Hostas are great too! I also have a small fountain that they love to take showers in. Pretty hilarious to watch. I have one in particular that comes at 6:30 every morning for her shower.